Gartner urges caution before downloading Firefox

ComputerWorld ^ | 2/10/2005 | Matthew Broersma

[GeorgiaFreeper]

Gartner urges caution before downloading Firefox The Web browser may not be an unstoppable juggernaut

News Story by Matthew Broersma

FEBRUARY 10, 2005 (TECHWORLD.COM) - Companies should think twice before jumping on the Firefox bandwagon, according to research firm Gartner Inc. The open-source browser has been gaining market share steadily over the past few months, helped by industry support and user enthusiasm, but Firefox isn't the unstoppable juggernaut it might seem.

Browser switching is taking place at the level of individual users, rather than organizations, and some of the factors that make Firefox more appealing than Internet Explorer are likely to go away as the browser gets to be more popular, according to Gartner analysts Ray Valdes, David Mitchell Smith and Whit Andrews.

"The growth in usage of Firefox is driven by factors that are not inherently sustainable," they warned in a study released last week.

... [snip] ...

But Firefox is sure to be targeted by more malicious code as its market share grows, Gartner said. Security experts agree, saying more and more malicious code, including spyware, is turning up that targets Mozilla-based browsers, although so far most of it doesn't work properly. Last year, for example, some sites began using XPI extensions to automatically install malicious applications in Mozilla and Firefox, which prompted a patch that stops XPIs from installing when a page loads.

[GeorgiaFreeper]

Gartner, Inc. is the leading provider of research and analysis on the information technology industry. Our principal business segments include Research, Consulting and Events. Clients include chief information officers and other senior executives in corporations and government agencies, as well as technology companies (vendors) and the investment community. Our clients depend on insights provided by Gartner to make better-informed decisions about the impact of technology on their operations, markets and strategies.

The independence and objectivity of our research and advice are hallmarks of the Gartner brand. We founded the technology research and advisory industry on these principles in 1979. With more than 10,000 clients and 75 locations worldwide, we remain the clear market leader. Client trust in our rigorous standards to safeguard independence and objectivity is the basis of our business.

[CitizenHelper]

Firefox is great, Internet Explorer by Microsoft is not. The choice is clear.

[funkywbr]

Sounds like they work for MS Corp to me.

[speed_addiction]

As a Firefox user I can say that it has sopped a lot of the poblems that were being brought on by IE. So far I am happy with it.

[Izzy Dunne]

more and more malicious code, including spyware, is turning up that targets Mozilla-based browsers, although so far most of it doesn't work properly.

So they're shooting at you now, but the bullets bounce off your shields.
Not sure I see the problem here.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

R.I.P. Microsoft

[GeorgiaFreeper]

For now ... what about Gartner's analysis that as Firefox becomes more popular, the hackers will target it more?

[JoJo Gunn]

FUD ping

[proxy_user]

Usually in corporate intranets, software is provided through the network. Individual users are not allowed to install software on their PC. This gives all users a standard build, and facilitates the work of the help desk.

The greatest with Firefox problem will probably not be attacks, but corporate intranet applications that rely on Active-X controls. These require IE to work properly.

Many corporations do not allow their users to connect to the external internet, anyway.

[CitizenHelper]

Firefox is a clean product build and I am sure they can keep ahead of the pack, whereas IE is a POS that has so many band aids and patches on it that I won't even install their updates anymore unless I want my computer to crash, which has happened twice before.

[Izzy Dunne]

what about Gartner's analysis that as Firefox becomes more popular, the hackers will target it more?

It doesn't matter how much they target it; it matters how much they succeed.
And look at the number of successful IE attacks out there.

[lilylangtree]

Thanks for the info.

[GeorgiaFreeper]

Sounds like they work for MS Corp to me.

Shouldn't you have immediately called them microsoft knee-padders? That seems to be the standard OSS reply when organizations post something disagreeable.

Your statement, even if it was true, still does not refute the idea that Firefox's user base is small now, but as and if it grows, it will suffer more and more attacks and we will find out how secure it actually is.

[IamConservative]

"Sounds like they work for MS Corp to me."

They probably do get considerable consulting revenue from MS. The best thing to ask an "industry consultant" is "when is the last time you were right?" It's a pretty shady business.

I haven't had any spyware since the day I started using Firefox. That trend may end, but why not take advantage of it now?

[GeorgiaFreeper]

You are welcome :)

[JohnnyZ]

Why did you post an advertisement for Gartner in your first post?

[VA_Gentleman]

I still think Firefox is a little over-rated. I use it and admit that it's better than IE, but it has problems. It's extremely slow when trying to run/download multiple things at a time. You practically have to stop downloading one thing before you can download the next.

[pepperhead]

Once you use firefox you won't want to use anything else. Yes aholes might start targeting firefox. And the solution to this problem is to start targeting them.

[GeorgiaFreeper]

Why did you post an advertisement for Gartner in your first post?

I didn't. I just posted a blurb about them for the readers of this thread who may not know who Gartner is / claims to be.

[CitizenHelper]

I used to do business with Gartner. Let's not give alot of power to the 28 year old "associate" working in a cubicle who wrote this article. Gartner is just a big consulting company that sells research reports to fools silly enough to buy them.